Emotional Eating and Addiction with Dr. Gabor Mate

“When We Eat Not To Nourish But To Nurture. Dr. Gabor Maté, renowned physician and author, speaks about the root causes of eating disorders, which have their roots in early childhood trauma.In fact, all addictions, including food (anorexia, bulimia, binge eating), substance addition (drugs, alcohol, medications) and even the lesser recognized ones, such as work or stress addiction, sex addiction, exercise addiction, etc.As we grow and develop as a child, we are completely dependent on those around us. We have to learn to love our caregivers no matter what. If during those formative years, we do not have our basic needs met for safety, security, love, touch and support of many kinds, we may learn on a subconscious level either have these needs filled in other, more harmful ways (i.e. the quick fix of love through a drug) or we learn that love and nurturing comes also with pain.These patterns become hardwired into our nervous system and our subconscious mind. We learn to seek nurturing outside of ourselves instead of from within. For those of us with eating disorders, eating is no longer an act of providing nutrition, but instead an act of seeking happiness, or a brief end to the inner pain we experience.” Emotional Eating and Addiction